frey51

Hey guys,

My Z is overdue for a really good wash and wax, and I figured I should just get the Zaino kit, do the claybar, and all that other stuff...here is were I need some help.

I am thinking of getting the Zaino Total Protection Show Car Kit , but I have never used a system like this before. The most I have ever done is a good wash and a few coats of wax.

I am really looking for a detailed set of instructions on how to use the kit. I know that I have to initially wash the car with Dawn to strip off all the old wax, then I have to do the claybar (do I clay the whole entire car?). But this is where things get complicated. There are so many products that come with the kit I am a bit overwhelmed:

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...roduct_Count=1
ZFX™ Flash Cure Accelerator Additive
Z-2 PRO™ Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Car Finishes
Z-5 PRO™ Show Car Polish for Swirl Marks and Fine Scratches
Z-6™ Ultra Clean Gloss Enhancer Spray
Z-7™ Show Car Wash
Z-18™ ClayBar

I have serached a bit, but cannot locate a good write up. Can anyone give me some good input on the application of this kit. I need my Z to look good again, but I would really like to know what I am getting into before I drop $90 on all that stuff.

I know eveyone has their own way of doing this, but it would be nice to see how the process may differ for some people, plus it will help me so I dont have to run blind through the whole ordeal.

Thanks, Let me know!
Fry

TheBlueKnight

iTrader: (4)

Ok, I just went through this so I'll let you know what happened to me. Since I bought my car the paint has looked pretty good. A few scratches here and there, but the part I noticed the most was the spider webbing in the paint. Basically after you go wash your car at the car wash or whatever and dry it off, the car looks pretty good right? But if you look at it in the sun I could see the spider webbing like this...



Well, I had been hearing such good things about zainos that I decided to buy that exact kit you have posted up. Obviously from the picture it didn't do anything except make my car more shiney. I think that kit would work if your car's paint was in really good condition and you wanted to shine it up, but not for improving imperfections. So I started hearing people say that if you want your paint to look awesome you're gonna have to shell out the cash and get a porter cable and some Merenza SIP Polish to get rid of all the imperfections. The price tag for a kit like this cost me about $240. Yeah, thats a lot right? But it was sooooo worth it! Look at the top of my Trans am's rear spoiler in the picture below. The Right is what it used to be, even after Zaino's. The Left is after applying SIP and using the PorterCable! It erased about 90% or more of all the imperfections in my paint! Zaino's removed nothing. The Two black arrows in the pic show a few stray scratches that I still needed to work on a bit more to remove.



I've heard guys on here tell me its basically impossible to remove stuff by hand but I didn't believe them and I threw away $90. Wish I would have bought the Porter Cable and SIP in the first place. Plus you get some polishing stuff to that goes with the kit. I got mine from Steve at Tropicare, he's a sponsor on this site. Give him a call, he'll set you up with what you need. He's the Sam Strano of Detailing, lol.

frey51

Well, I dont really have any major imperfections, except for the clear coat on the drivers rear quarter that had apparently been replaced prior to my owning the car. I know I need to take a buffer to that, but my paint is in pretty dang good shape. If I do a normal wash and two coats of wax, I can keep her shiney and clean for a while, and she looks really good. I just want to get that extra pop, and a more reflective shine that see in the pictures of zaino'ed cars. Plus the protective qualities of Zaino seem to be pretty beneficial.

Check out my pics on Flickr, they look pretty good.

Flickr



Thanks,
Fry

TheBlueKnight

iTrader: (4)

In your case I would definitely do Zainos then, it made my car way shiney!

SS1Eagle

Excellent timing. I heard a thump on my doorstep. It's my Zaino Kit. Bucket with grit guard, decal and sponge applicators. I ordered the shirt too.





Inside the bucket are Zaino instructions are very detailed and walk you through the process. The pic below is the basic products you will begin to use.


Looking at all these products it will require lots of patience and time but certainly well worth it. These guys are serious about car care enhancements.

Shine on.

frey51

Thanks Eagle, I wasn't aware that the kit actually came with a set of instructions.

Fry

DopdBrd

iTrader: (25)

I have used nothing but Zaino on pretty much all my cars, even my DD's. Lot's of people get scared away because of the complicity that comes with the very first time you do it. Believe me, after you do it once, you are going to realize how easy it really is and your going to kick yourself for not doing it sooner.

First off wash the car really good with some non-bleach Dawn soap. Believe it or not this stuff is getting harder to find since most of their newer soap comes with bleach already in it. When I wash with Dawn I do the WHOLE car and try to get it as good as I can. When you are done washing you don't really need to worry about drying it off or getting picky with waterspots, because guess what, clay bar is next.

Now, before you start, find a spray bottle and fill it with water and add just about a quarter of a capfull of Z7 car wash to every 12oz or so of water. You don't want it just plain water and you don't want to waste a bunch of car wash either. If you are seeing minimal bubbles while spraying the solution on your car you probably have the right mixture. Start in a small area and make sure you lube your surface and the claybar very generously. MAKE SURE to always keep the bar and surface well lubed. Work in a back and forth and up and down motion until the section is done. Do this throughout the whole car. You can use it on plastic, glass, metal, pretty much anything. But make sure not to get any pieces of dirt or anything in the claybar because that will scratch your paint. Also, after every sections "play" with the claybar. Stretch it out, mend it, bend it, just play with it and then go on to the next section. Do the whole car. Once again, do not worry about water spots, or the solution drying on the car, because you are washing it next.

Fill up a bucket with water and add a couple capfulls of Z7 car wash. This stuff is VERY concentrated so you do not need much for a 5 gallon bucket. The water should have a light blue tint to it. Wash the whole car very well making sure to get it extra clean. I usually use three wash mits. One brand new one for the upper body, an older one for the lower body, and a crappy old one for the wheels, wheel wells, and under the body. Once you are done dry the car off COMPLETELY making sure there is no water left on the car. I use a Griots water blade and then double waffle weave microfiber drying towels (try saying that 3 times fast ) to get most of the big stuff, then I go through with an air compressor and blow out all the cracks before finishing with a drying towel. Make sure no water is present because you are gonna be buffing next.

This is the time to break out the Porter Cable or Elbow Grease. Now this is NOT NECESSARY, you can easily go straight to applying polish but if you want a very DEEP and BRILLANT shine, or if you have some small scratches you want out, buffing is the way to do it. Get a Medium cutting pad (yellow Mequiars or Orange Autogeek) and get to work. A porter cable is the IDEAL way to do it but if you are stuck with a cotton applicator pad that is fine too. Get out your ZPC and get to work. REMEMBER THIS: With all of Zaino's products, a little goes a LONG way. You do not need to use a whole bottle to wax/buff a car. I wax my car religiously and have only gone through 3-4 bottles of Zaino in the past 6 years. Now, apply a little ZPC to either your buffing pad or applicator pad. If you are using a buffer you don't need anythign more than around 3/4 speed. Apply pressure and work in a back to forth or side to side motion. After you are finished with a section, let it dry and wipe it off. ZPC is pretty much amazing, it will get out LOTS if not ALL of any tiny scratches you have on the car. And, this stuff will not burn through paint, believe me I tried. I have put my Porter Cable on HIGH and applied as much pressure as I could to a section and stood there for about 45 seconds and it did nothing. After you are done with the car, go over the car with a microfiber towel and the Z6 Ultra Clean Gloss Enhancer Spray to get any left over residue off the car. Now the next step is not necessary but works great.

Now you are going to buff the car again. This time use a very soft blue pad and the Z-AIO. Now, I do this because this is the perfect sealant and protectant to put down as a base before putting coats of polish on the car. This can be done too, with either a Porter Cable or by hand. Now, basically you are going to repeat the same process you did with the Z-PC but this time, do not worry about pressure or speed. This is a chemical sealant that does not need to applied with lots of pressure. It is just like polish, put it on, let it dry and wipe it off. After I do a coat of this I go through again with the Z6 and make sure I got off all the residue.

Now you are ready for the polishes. I use Z2 on lighter colored cars (silver, white) and Z5 on darker cars (Black, NBM). I do this mainly because Z5 has an added swirl and scratch remover, which we all know darker cars are horrible for this. I do, however, use Z2 on dark cars also, but usually after I have around 4-5 coats of Z5 down. If you only plan on doing one coat a day, go straight into it and start waxing. On the hood and rear hatch use a up/down motion (front of hood to rear of hood) and on the sides you a up/down motion also (top of fender to bottom of fender), you will get a better optical shine from it if you do. Now, if you are like me, and like to do multiple coats of polish in one day, this is where ZFX comes into play. Follow the instructions with the ZFX and use a few drops of ZFX with a small bottle of polish (the bottles provided), mix well and start waxing. Bascially it is the same procedure, but with the ZFX the polish cures instantly and you can wipe off a coat and immediately apply another. If you do not use ZFX you have to wait 24hrs before applying another coat.

Now between every coat of wax I like to use Z6. Is it necessary? No. But I do it anways. Z6 is the ultimate quick detail spray. If you ever have a little dust on the car, don't be a lazy *** and use the California Duster. Break out a microfiber towel and get to work with the Z6. It litterally takes 5 mins longer.

When you have acheived a nice shine and you are satisfied with the way it looks, apply a coat of ZCS. This clear seal is fantastic. You do not need to wipe it off, it is simply a wipe on and watch dry product. Now with this you really DO NOT need much at all. If you apply too much it will have an oil on water look on your car and you do not want that. I apply this stuff all the time and it really brings out the shine.

Another great product is the Z8, I use this VERY SPARINGLY. Usually before car shows, or get togethers. Z8 is basically Z6 on steriods.

Maintenance is simple. Wash, dry, polish, and spray. Or if you don't have time to polish and use Z6 just wash it then finished it off with some Z6. All of Zaino's products have polish in them, so really everytime you wash your car you are applying another coat of polish. The more you wash and polish your car the more it will shine and the color will look "deeper".

Hope that helps, I would go into more detail but I'm at work and the Pharmacists is bugging me to do things. LOL.

If you have any questions you can PM me, but also, Zaino has a GREAT tech line and I have even talked to Sal a few times about products.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

Zaino is meant to be used as a last step product, it is not gonna remove hazing, oxidization, spider webbing or swirls.

After detailing for a few years already, my best advice to you is get a Porter Cable 7424, its cheap and works well plus its super easy to use. The compounds that everyone swears by on http://www.autopia.org are the twin mequiar products. The M105 followed by M205. These two products are suppose to be great for removing any defects when used with the PC 7424.

Seriously should check out http://www.autopia.org and join their forums, the guys are great and would help you out a ton with ANY detailing questions. They will tell you what not to waste your money on, and whats of true benefit to you.

Let me know how it goes, ill be glad to help you over some PMs.

DopdBrd

iTrader: (25)

Z-PC removed spider webbing and swirls in my black car. Weird.

frey51

Thanks a million DopdBrd. That is exactly what I was looking for. And, to tell you the truth, the way you laied it out doesnt seem that bad so I am not too overwhelmed anymore. It will just be time consuming.

So do you suggest that along with the Kit above, I should get a bottle of the Z-PC to help in the removal of minor scratches and swirls. I assume this just adds to the function of the other polishes.

I really appreciate the input man, it will really help me out.

Fry

wannafbody

iTrader: (2)

ZPC and an orange pad with PC will remove swirls and light marring. Z2pro with ZFX is a good. Z8 is another great product.

DopdBrd

iTrader: (25)

I would. I ZPC everything before laying down any polish. The ZPC is a Dual Action paint cleaner and swirl/scratch remover. And honestly, that is the only other thing you would really NEED right now. Depending on how much I drive the car I usually do this whole process twice a year. So you could always buy the other stuff at a later date and start from scratch then, or just layer it on top of each other. Like I said, the more you wax, quick detail, and polish your car the deeper the shine will get.

Also, try to get some good microfibers. I use the Concurs Buffing towels to take off all the wax and some Cobra Microfibers to quick detail. I don't know if I can post a link to their website, but PM me and I'll send it to you. It is the place where I get mine and they do a special almost every month it seems. I usually wait til I get my 20% coupon in my email before I order new stuff.

Just PM me if you have any questions.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

Not saying it doesn't. However, I wouldn't recomend Zaino for its correcting capabilities tho. I am sure that some menzerna and a PC with an orange pad will remove a lot more then one can do with his/her hand and a bottle of zaino.

Ive seen what it does on black cars, and its very impressive, but id consider other if I needed something for correcting abilities.

Cheers.

DopdBrd

iTrader: (25)

Depending on how bad the scratches are. Buddy of mine uses Menzerna and you put both our cars together and you can't tell the difference (ok maybe mine shines a bit more ). But both of our cars were very clean to start with.

s1ck s0n

iTrader: (7)

nuff said

DopdBrd

iTrader: (25)

Marvelous, bloody marvelous.

I'll really put the Zaino to work when I try to take out all the scratches that got put into the fender by a dumb *** with a shop rag and thinner.